compressed ntfs volume - file size limit??

[Brian Gregory [UK]]

Why does Windows XP crash saying "Delayed Write Failed" over and over
again when Retrospect Backup 6.0 tries to create a file larger than
around 87,100,000 bytes on my external USB2 120GB hard drive which is
formatted NTFS with compression enabled??

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

Are you trying to save to the root folder or are you placing it in a
subfolder of the root folder. If you are simply placing the file on the
disk, the root folder and not creating a folder into which you can place the
file, that might be the issue.

 

[Brian Gregory [UK]]

Are you trying to save to the root folder or are you placing it in a
subfolder of the root folder. If you are simply placing the file on
the disk, the root folder and not creating a folder into which you
can place the file, that might be the issue.

It was in the root.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

Brian, try the following, open Control Panel, open System, go to the
hardware tab, click Device Manager. Find your external drive in Device
Manager, it may be under "Disk Drives," if not, it should be in there
somewhere, just go through the list until you find it, double click the
drive, find the tab that contains the "write caching" option and disable
write caching on that disk and see if you still have the problem. If you
are prompted to reboot the system, do so before running the test.

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

 

[Brian Gregory [UK]]

Brian, try the following, open Control Panel, open System, go to the
hardware tab, click Device Manager. Find your external drive in
Device Manager, it may be under "Disk Drives," if not, it should be
in there somewhere, just go through the list until you find it,
double click the drive, find the tab that contains the "write
caching" option and disable write caching on that disk and see if you
still have the problem. If you are prompted to reboot the system, do
so before running the test.

I've re-formatted without compression now, because that has always
worked okay before.

I might try with compression again but it takes one all night full
backup and a couple of weeks worth of differential backups to get the
file that big.

Write cacheing was/is set as: "Optimize for quick removal. This setting
disables write caching on the disk and in Windows, so you can disconnect
this device without using the Safe Removal icon".

Thanks for your help.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

OK, good luck, Brian.

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/